the EU

[eFestivals]

Clearly you haven't read your own inaccurate posts then!

As an example the Conservatives didn't win Guildford from the Lib Dems last time.

Which is what you said. Which is patently bollocks

I'm so very sorry that I mis-typed something about a constituency I've not lived in for over 20 years.

My inaccuracy must be gutting for you, but not as gutting for you as being a supporter of the racist w*nker banker party.

[lost]

failing to be psychic is 'incompetent' now is it?

[TheGayTent]

I'm so very sorry that I mis-typed something about a constituency I've not lived in for over 20 years.

My inaccuracy must be gutting for you, but not as gutting for you as being a supporter of the racist w*nker banker party.

[eFestivals]

not failing to be psychic, the Keynesian economics he subscribes to told him what he thought would happen.

if he really subscribed to Keynesian ideas he'd have done none of what he did.

Like every economist everywhere, if you didn't go along with the prevailing Thatcherite idiocy you weren't classed as an economist, you were classed as stupid and often soon without a job.

People's careers were destroyed by pointing out the so-very-obvious flaws in those ideas. There wasn't any economist of note saying Thatcherite ideas were bollocks, because they'd be shouted out of town by the real idiots.

Even now the Thatcherites are still in charge and Keynesian ideas aren't getting listened to. Which only gets to mean that the robbery continues at the same pace.

Back to the gaytents original point, he thought he had conquered boom and bust, got it wrong and ran a deficit during the boom part of the cycle

As I pointed out, running a deficit is the norm no matter what a politicians leanings. Thatcher herself had it run more out of control than Labour managed at the worst point.

And of course Brown and Balls were the first politicians in history to make a claim that turned out as untrue.

Oh, hang on ... Thatcher said that making the rich richer would make the poor richer via trickle-down ... when does that start to happen then?

Here's a simple fact: Labour have wised up a bit (just a bit, not a lot) from their errors. The Tories have learnt nothing at all, which is why they've done nothing at all to address the cause of what happened under Labour.

So while Balls is stupid, the tories are stupid beyond belief.

[eFestivals]

What's not living somewhere for 20 years got to do with a mis type?

Was it a mis type of was it simply a lack of knowledge?

I'll treat the 2nd part of your post with the contempt it deserves.

mis-type is perhaps not the right word, but it's certainly not a lack of knowledge. I just didn't put enough thought into typing what was an exceedingly irrelevant aspect anyway.

Lack of knowledge wouldn't have me knowing that true blue Surrey had voted out the tory scum in the first place.

The contempt is yours, and with every other tory voting self-centred c**t. You're welcome to it.

Edited January 23, 2013 by eFestivals

[TheGayTent]

I think your posts say a lot more about your true colours than they do mine.

Given politicians inability to admit to mistakes or worse still a lack of knowledge, perhaps you'd make a very good politician...

[eFestivals]

I think your posts say a lot more about your true colours than they do mine.

says the man who votes for the self-serving racists & xenophobes and is proud of it.

Contempt is all you have, contempt for all other human beings.

Given politicians inability to admit to mistakes or worse still a lack of knowledge, perhaps you'd make a very good politician...

says the liar who is claiming I've not admitted that mistake.

You are everything you claim for others.

[TheGayTent]

Anne Milton won a 14% majority last time out, a lead of 8,000 votes over the lib dem candidate at a time the Lib Dems were riding on a crest of a wave.

All the polls suggest Lib Dems will poll a lot worse next time around. Whilst I don't believe they'll do as badly as the polls suggest, I do believe they'll do worse.

Yet you believe, and have stated in this thread, Guildford is quite likely to go back to the Lib Dems. It's quite clear you don't understand what you're talking about. They have no chance of taking Guildford.

Edited January 23, 2013 by TheGayTent

[Wooderson]

Talking of Ireland, I remember back at bail-out time both you and Nal said that Ireland's balance of payments was positive.

That's gotta be false, surely? Cos if it's true it gets to mean that no money had left Ireland, and therefore it would not need a bailout unless there's someone in Ireland sitting on all the disappeared cash.

[eFestivals]

Anne Milton won a 14% majority last time out, a lead of 8,000 votes over the lib dem candidate at a time the Lib Dems were riding on a crest of a wave.

All the polls suggest Lib Dems will poll a lot worse next time around. Whilst I don't believe they'll do as badly as the polls suggest, I do believe they'll do worse.

Yet you believe, and have stated in this thread, Guildford is quite likely to go back to the Lib Dems. It's quite clear you don't understand what you're talking about. They have no chance of taking Guildford.

I happen to know the area I'm talking about far better than you do.

The LibDems might not win (and I've not said they will), but they'll certainly reduce that majority.

I don't know what I'm talking about? I ain't the one with undying support for a party that don't know what they're talking about.

[Wooderson]

Ireland is buggered in the next couple of months when the cash from the original bail out is gone and we're back on market rates for cash.

[TheGayTent]

I happen to know the area I'm talking about far better than you do.

The LibDems might not win (and I've not said they will), but they'll certainly reduce that majority.

I don't know what I'm talking about? I ain't the one with undying support for a party that don't know what they're talking about.

[TheGayTent]

I suspect Guildford will be one, for example.

[abdoujaparov]

that speech was all about trying to stop disaffected tory voters shifting to UKIP...nothing more and nothing less

[eFestivals]

You were quite clear in what you said.

yep - that I suspected they'd take it. Not that they will take it. You can carry on pretending to yourself that you can invent my meaning if you like, but that just makes you dumb. ,

That proves you don't know what you're talking about and that you don't know the area as well as you claim you do.

I don't know the area I've lived in for most of my life, how very stupid of me.

They have zero chance of taking that seat.

by every sensible measure they had zero chance in 2005 as well, but they still won it. How did that happen then?

The south east isn't quite as full of raving right nutters as you're imagining.

[eFestivals]

that speech was all about trying to stop disaffected tory voters shifting to UKIP...nothing more and nothing less

oh, it was more, much more.

It was Dave Moron fighting for his life as Tory leader. I'm not saying he's immediately threatened, but it's him getting in first; he's a PR man after all.

It was a plea to big business (ones already here), to keep publicly backing the economic disaster which is this govt - as that's the only backing they have left on that.

It was a call to the stupid, who have thought enough to have genuine and real concerns over the EU but who will be fooled into thinking those concerns will be addressed via things to the benefit of only businesses and the rich, which of course they won't.

And it was plea to the party's racist/xenophobic/homophobic wing - a very big wing - to not vote for UKIP just because the nasty man Dave happens to be a modern but nasty man.

[TheGayTent]

yep - that I suspected they'd take it. Not that they will take it. You can carry on pretending to yourself that you can invent my meaning if you like, but that just makes you dumb. ,

[lost]

Looks like Iceland is backing away from membership:

http://uk.finance.yahoo.com/news/icelands-leader-slams-gordon-brown-160936136.html

The President of Iceland has launched an extraordinary verbal attack on Gordon Brown on the fringes of the World Economic Forum in Davos.

Olafur Ragnar Grimsson, the country's longest-serving president, told Sky News that his country would "never forget" its treatment during the financial crisis at the hands of the former British prime minister.

During the financial crisis, following the collapse of Icelandic bank Icesave and Iceland's refusal to refund UK deposits, Britain took the rare step of imposing financial sanctions on the country.

Mr Grimsson told Sky News: "The Gordon Brown government decided, to its eternal shame, to put the Icelandic government on a list of terrorist states and terrorist phenomena. We were there together with al Qaeda and the Taliban on that list.

"We have not forgotten that in Iceland."

"Gordon Brown will be long remembered in my country for centuries to come, long after he has been completely forgotten in Britain."

Mr Brown is also in Davos to speak on panels about development and youth activism.

Mr Grimsson said that the estate of the bank had managed to recover enough assets to "pay back to those who have deposits and the British authorities everything which can be reasonably required".

An EFTA court is due on Monday to give a legal verdict as to whether Iceland's actions were appropriate, however Mr Grimsson said that this will only be advisory, and that "it will not lead to any financial obligations or transactions of any sort".

The president also signalled that his country may soon abandon its plans to join the European Union.

Iceland started formal negotiations towards becoming an EU member in 2009, but this week suspended it for what was expected to be a number of months.

However, when asked whether he could foresee his country joining the EU in his term, which still has three and a half years to run, Mr Grimsson said: "If you want me to take a bet, I would definitely say no."

He added: "It's quite clear both in my country and other parts of northern Europe that there is a growing scepticism about the way the European Union is moving forward.

"In the last three years the eurozone has revealed itself to be a different kind of animal.

"We have decided to take a pause, not to move forward at all in the coming months, and then to revisit the issue sometime later.

"We don't want to drag the process on for long. Later this year we will face the decision of whether we call the discussions off altogether ... or whether we prolong the talks which have now been created.

"There is no strong political force in my country arguing that we need to finish the negotiations quickly because we want to join the European Union."

[pink_triangle]

I find the next election very difficult to call. I think taking into account Sinn Fein dont vote, the party need to win about 16 seats for a majority which shouldnt be impossible. However governing parties dont generally increase their share of the vote and I would also expect labour to take seats like stockton south (majority 300) back even if they have a relatively poor election.

Im still not convinced by Milliband and have a worrying feeling when it comes to the crunch he wont convince swing voters enough, leaving Cameron in power, however I also dont see how the conservatives can do better against him than Brown. Voters didnt like Brown while they are pretty indiferent to Ed.

I also dont think you can read everything into opinion polls. It doesnt matter how lib dem vote collapses nationally. Their performance will depend on how their vote holds up where they have mps. While I see them losing some unviersity seats to labour eg withington and some in the south west to torys, tactical voting will mean they will outperform polls.

[abdoujaparov]

oh, it was more, much more.

It was Dave Moron fighting for his life as Tory leader. I'm not saying he's immediately threatened, but it's him getting in first; he's a PR man after all.

It was a plea to big business (ones already here), to keep publicly backing the economic disaster which is this govt - as that's the only backing they have left on that.

It was a call to the stupid, who have thought enough to have genuine and real concerns over the EU but who will be fooled into thinking those concerns will be addressed via things to the benefit of only businesses and the rich, which of course they won't.

And it was plea to the party's racist/xenophobic/homophobic wing - a very big wing - to not vote for UKIP just because the nasty man Dave happens to be a modern but nasty man.

[thesecretingredientiscrime]

Next election will obviously be a bun fight for lib dem seats. No way lib Dems are making any gains. I don't think Milliband has done enough to stop a Tory majority next election. Should of gone with his brother.

[eFestivals]

Quite clearly you need an English language lesson.

says the man in need of a bigger one.

I said what I said. What I didn't say was what you're saying I said.

And I ment what I meant, which no amount of fantasy by you changes.

I have never suggested anything of the sort.

yep you did - cos it would need to only be full of raving right wing nutters to only ever vote in thoise raving right wing nutters that you love so much.

You do know that the real raving right wing nutters laugh at people like you, don't you? You're not one of them, you're merely one of their oiks.

[eFestivals]

Looks like Iceland is backing away from membership:

what that means is that they're jumping before they're pushed.

They don't meet the entry criteria, so have no chance of joining. I guess they've now accepted that for themselves.

[eFestivals]

well, your first, third and final point amount to exactly the point I made - this was about potraying the tories as anti-EU and taking UKIP's ground

no they're different points.

The 'disaffected' tory MPs would not have quit for UKIP, they'd have had their leader changed. Dave Moron's speech was more about stopping that happening than it was of stopping tory voters from voting UKIP (tho of course it does that to some extent too).

It's a sop in all sorts of other ways too - such as getting MPs and potential voters to shut up or forget about the gay marriage thing because Dave is giving them the chance for their other favourite thing aside from their homophobia, and that's their xenophobia/racism.

[eFestivals]

Would be great to have a good debate about the pros and cons but too many idiots on both sides of the debate. Look at Neil's terrible efforts to speak up for Europe. Everyone is an idiot but you right ? Typical high and mighty left rehtoric...

I started my very first post with mentioning that the EU has big problems.

I've then pointed out that nothing that Dave Moron said yesterday was actually about addressing those real problems, but instead he intends to take back power only for the benefit of his rich chums.

Was there any mention in his speech about the CAP - the running sore of the EU for over 40 years? Nope.

Was there any mention in his speech about the lack of direct democracy for the people of Europe within the EU? No again - tho there was lots of guff about "how the British people have never had a say", which is complete and utter bollocks, unless every govt was working within the EU only for their own `benefit).

I agree with what you say, that we need a good debate about Europe. Dave Moron's speech yesterday was not about having that debate, but ensuring that we do not get that debate; he was attempting to set the agenda on his own terms and not around anything of concern of the British people.

The only thing open to those who won't be sucked in by that bollocks is to ridicule it for what it is.